BOARD01778

• Board Meeting Date: 11/20/2000
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

.Col0rado Water Conservation CWCB
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.CO.llS

MEMORANDUM

P Bill Owens
Governor

To:

Colorado Water Conservation CWCB Members

Greg E.Walcher
Executive Director

From:

Dan McAuliffe, Acting Director
Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief, Water Supply Plarlning and Finances Section
Dan Merriman, Chief, Stream and Lake Protection Program
Larry Lang, Chief, Flood Control and Floodplain Management
Randy Seaholm, Chief, Interstate Streams IJJvestigations

Dan McAuliffe
Acting Director

Date: October 18, 2000

Re: Agenda Item _ - November/January, CWCB Meeting

Water Supply Planning and Finance - Non-Reimbursable Projects CWCB Gaging Program for
~OnitOring & Data Collection Projects and DWR Sl1telIite Monitoring System

Introduction

The CWCR is in the process of developing a gaging program that will address specific agency related needs sttch
as flood forecasting and warning, instream flow monitoring, compact protection, and Decisiorl Support System data
collection efforts. An appropriation of $174,000 is being sought from the Construction Fund for a variety of specific
projects identified for FY 01-02. In addition, the Division of Water Resources (DWR) is requesting $290,000 from the
Construction Fund to continue an expanding program to renovate stream gaging stations and replace Data Collection
Platforms (DCPs) in the existing satellite monitoring system. A total appropriation of $464,000 will be required for
these combined efforts.

Background

As the CWCR's programmatic responsibilities have matured, it has become evident that gaging needs are not
always addressed through the existing network of gaging stations operated by the DWR and the Geological Survey
(USGS). The CWCR's mission with respect to floods, instream flow and compact protection and data collection needs
for Decision Support Systems is often different from those of the DWR and USGS. Although many existing gages
provide needed data, the DWR's mission is to administer the state's water rights, while the USGS collects data for long-
term scientific record purposes. As a result, gages are not always located where the CWCR needs them to be or are
designed to fit our data collection needs. However, due to staffing limitations, the CWCR still works cooperatively with
the DWR and the USGS to expand, refurbish, redesign, and create new gages as well as develop cooperative data
collection projects that meet the needs of all three agencies and other stakeholder interests.

_ During the past two years, the CWCB has tttilized a portion of available Severance Tax Operational Account
"onies to fund some of its gaging needs. However, the CWCB's responsibilities affect areas throughout Colorado